Originally posted by joelouisbarrow
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In the second fight, the referee, Walcott, screwed up. He never directed Ali to a neutral corner, never gave Liston a count, and listened to the editor of a magazine and stopped the fight after Liston and Ali had already reengaged with each other. That was Walcott's first time refereeing a Championship bout and his last....he royally screwed up.
The reason both fights had that "air" about them was because of the su****ious nature of the Nation of Islam (Malcolm X had just been assasinated) and Sonny's ties to the mob. The punch that dropped him was legit; but he could have gotten up. He didn't becaue Ali, whom he thought was a nutjob, was dancing all around and the ref never gave him a count.
The ref's job is to protect the fighter, Walcott shirked this by alloweing Ali to be within punching range while Liston was on the canvas. Also, when a fighter gets knocked down, they listen for the count.....Walcott never gave one.
The whole affair was FUBAR.
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